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Creeper
Creepers are slow, deadly, and possessed of an unusual air of menace. Appearing as a cross between a plant and some kind of tailed turtle, these solitary creatures are greatly feared by those who have witnessed their deadly skills in battle. Physical Description: Creepers grow to be just under 4 feet tall. A hard shell of bark-like matter covers their hunched backs and serves as protection from wouldbe predators. Luminous eyes help cut throughout the darkened caves and canopied bogs of their primary homelands. Compact, corded fibers supply their short limbs with strength akin to crashing trees and rolling stones. Society: Creepers tend toward solitary lives when young adults but often seek out a community as they reach a maturity and self-awareness. Surprisingly this community does not necessarily have to be one of other creepers; rather each creeper tends toward advisory, monitoring, or other ancillary roles to a larger group of nearly any species or people. This may stem from their ability to reproduce by spores and thus not requiring others of their species to continue their kind. Despite asexual reproduction creepers still present vestigial genders. Relations: Creepers are inclined to live in small communities of like-minded individuals. Some say this is from a deep distrust in all other living things while others attribute this to a fear of the self, that they will harm those they come to love. Historical examples support both ideas and perhaps the truth lies between them. Of the other species common to the Quiet Lands, wolgers are most frequently allied with creeper folk. Often times a single Cabal of sages will support one or more tribes of wolger. Ancestral rivalry between the wyrmkin and creepers has been a source of atrocities on both sides. Tensions are high between the two people. Alignment and Religion: Creepers tend toward extremes of a singular aligned aspect being either focused or passionate toward a singular end. Creepers hold great reverence for the Pasha of Stone who guided the Guardians to create the Caves of Ryatha and elevated the creepers awareness of the cosmos. Ancient scraps of lore tie them to the Zealous Fortress but this connection is all but the vaguest of apocrypha in the current age. Few species bear the Brionithic Empire enmity as much as the creepers. Adventurers: Creepers understand the concepts of fate, duty, and obligation. Many of them make their way into the Multiverse under one of more of these burdens. Those that reach Hyraeatan often find themselves enmeshed with the Foreseen or sword the Hands of Onus. Rarer still a visitor to the Caves of the Zoadar informs a young creeper that they are to leave with them as advisor or companion. Creeper Species Traits * +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity: Slow and deliberate, creepers are full of quiet power. * Small: Creepers are Small and gain a +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls as well as a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks, but they take a -1 penalty to their CMB and CMD. * Slow Speed: Creepers have short legs, even for a Small species, and thick, slow-moving blood. They have a base speed of 20 feet. * Bonus Essence: Creepers draw steady streams of essence to their focused wills and start play with 1 bonus essence point in their pool. * Essence-Born: Creepers are plants with the akashic subtype, though their surprisingly humanoid physiology means they lack the immunities to mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, polymorph, and stunning that the plant type usually grants. * Lantern Eyes: Creeper’s eyes glow with a sickly yellow light in the dark, granting them darkvision out to 60 feet and a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks while in areas of dim light or darkness. * Sleep Immunity: Creepers are immune to magical sleep effects. * Slasher: Creepers are particularly proficient with small stabbing and cutting weapons like knives. Whenever a creeper deals damage with a light or one-handed weapon that deals either piercing or slashing damage, they deal an additional 1 point of precision damage. A creeper may invest essence into this ability to improve its effects. ** Essence: For each point of essence invested into this ability, the creeper deals an additional 1d6 points of precision damage when attacking with a light or one-handed piercing or slashing weapon. * Languages: Creepers begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Creepers with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnome, and Terran. Creeper Favored Class Options The following favored class options are available to all characters of this species who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward. * Alchemist: Add +1 on Craft (alchemy) checks to craft poison and +1/3 on the DCs of poisons the alchemist creates. * Bard: Add +1/4 point of slashing damage to weapon attacks of allies benefiting from a bardic performance of the creeper. * Eclipse: Gain +1/2 point of slashing damage to attacks benefitting from precision bonuses or bonus dice when attacking through an occultation. * Guru: Deal +1/2 point of slashing damage when dealing damage with a weapon-like veil. * Medium: Increase the medium’s spirit bonus by +1/6. * Nexus: Add +1/4 to DCs of any veil ability triggered by or tied to a slashing attack. * Occultist: Add 1/2 point of mental focus per day. * Radiant: Add +1/2 point of slashing damage to natural attacks of creatures summoned by radiant veils. * Rogue: Deal an additional +1/3 point of bleed damage whenever the creeper deals sneak attack damage with a weapon benefiting from their slasher species ability. * Sage: Add a +1/2 bonus on the sage’s saving throws to resist electricity and fire attacks. * Slayer: Deal +1/2 point of slashing damage to attacks benefitting from slayer species bonus dice when attacking a studied target. * Sorcerer: Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must deal slashing damage or target a weapon, and be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast. * Vizier: Add a +1/2 bonus on the creeper’s Intimidate skill checks that benefit from the Lantern Eyes bonus. * Zodiac: Any champion the creeper manifests gains a +1/4 bonus to the DC of a single non-dismiss spell-like or supernatural ability of the creeper’s choice, chosen at the time the champion is manifested. Category:Source: Akashic Realms Volume 2: The Quiet Lands